Anyone who has ever fondled a Campagnolo tool set will likely concede that tools can be considered every bit the functional art that bicycles have long been. Even so, the recently reborn Silca’s SuperPista Ultimate takes the prestige pump purchase to new levels. Going some way to account for the $450 (£270) retail price, the Ultimate has a combination of clever and plain impressive features: magnetic chuck docking, a super-thin but super-heavy base, a 12,000psi hose, and even a laboratory-grade gage.

Of course none of these are the point: the point is to get us looking at and talking about Silca pumps again. In that respect, the SuperPista Ultimate performs exactly as intended. From Silca:

The Ultimate stands alone.

Functional Work of Art

The SILCA SuperPista has long set the standard of what a bicycle floor pump could and should be. As an object used before almost every ride, a floor pump has the ability to optimize the comfort and handling of your bicycle, to allow you to adjust the way a bicycle feels before a particular ride. They can bring great pleasure of use, or pain, suffering and frustration. A great floor pump must feel good in your hands, operate smoothly and consistently, and be stable under foot, regardless of what shoes you are wearing.

For 2014, SILCA has moved SuperPista production to Indianapolis and taken the historic SILCA ideals and reimagined them with new technologies, manufacturing methods and processes. High tech manufacturing methods and materials have been combined with old world materials and ideals to create an heirloom quality product which you will be proud to hand down to the next generation.

Keeping the laboratory-grade gage off of the floor

At 7 pounds (3.2kg) the Ultimate is easily the heaviest and most stable floor pump ever made. Though only 5mm thick, and optimized for standing on in every type of cycling shoe imaginable, the SuperPista Ultimate base weighs more than most entire floor pumps and provides the largest, most stable platform available. Seeking precision and accuracy, SILCA has eschewed the traditional +/-5% industrial gauge for a +/-1% laboratory grade gauge, reading 0-160 psi.

Magnetic chuck docking allows the 17-4 Stainless Steel presta chuck to be docked and removed using only the hose with no bending or reaching. A very high strength neodymium magnet holds the chuck in the dock with enough force that the pump can be picked up by the handle for transport without undocking, yet a quick pull of the hose quickly frees the chuck.

Both Presta and Schrader chucks are connected to the SILCA exclusive 12,000 psi hose. Originally designed for use in race car and aircraft brake line, the Ultimate hose is just that, the Ultimate. Smooth bore PTFE liner, over-braided in stainless steel, then over-extruded in protective and beautiful red urethane. Unlimited rotational fittings are used on both ends of the hose, allowing it to flex and rotate from both ends even when pressurized.

Psh- none of that +/-5% nonsense.

The classic SILCA 741 Leather Washer moves the air inside the 2.5mm wall thickness main barrel. Borrowing from top level mountain bike suspension, the PTFE impregnated, hard anodized piston rod runs in a high precision IGUS busing in the top cap for minimal play with maximum smoothness.

Finally, hand turned rosewood handle has been optimized for ergonomics as well as beauty. Mated to 3 investment cast stainless steel lugs, the Ultimate’s handle was the result of studying both the ergonomics and manufacturing techniques of the finest Japanese culinary knife makers.

Every detail has been scrutinized and refined in the design and manufacture of the SuperPista Ultimate. We are so proud of it that we are providing a 25 year hard parts warranty.

Great, if you need to inflate a skinny-whippet racing tub. A 2.35 tubless highroller or even a fat bike tyre? 6000 strokes please. And who the blinking flip needs a floor pump to go to 11 bar? a damned great gauge that goes to 5 or even 6 bar, at the top of a 40mm barrel, with a little button to bleed some air off. Please?

Another silly expensive toy for the Rapha clad fools to waste money on. If your not sure then read this marketing bollox again, look at the handle and then tell me this makes sense in the context of a bike pump.
“Finally, hand turned rosewood handle has been optimized for ergonomics as well as beauty. Mated to 3 investment cast stainless steel lugs, the Ultimate’s handle was the result of studying both the ergonomics and manufacturing techniques of the finest Japanese culinary knife makers.”